XxAlonexX - Lightning & Hope -
by MMG Stitched Heart
Summary: -Taking place after the Ponds "died"- After being plunged into a chaos-stricken Cocoon from the TARDIS malfunctioning, The Doctor and his newly-found (kidnapped and somewhat unwanted) companion, Lightning Farron, must come to terms with her world ten years after her disappearance. What will happen when Light meets the young man she abandoned a decade ago in the Gapra Whitewood?
1. Prologue

**XxAlonexX**

* * *

**By MMG Stitched Heart**

* * *

Loneliness. It gets to people, but does it get to the immortal?

'Yes' was the Doctor's theory. 'Yes, it does.' And, in his opinion, it's even worse for those who live forever. No one else can live with him for long. He said it many times: Humans grow old and die while he never does. All he can do is regenerate, turn into a different man and be off on some other wild adventure...or, that's how it should be anyway. The greatest companions he's ever had were sent back in time and he can't claim them. They're gone forever. They will die in another time and he'll be stuck without them. The only family he's ever had gone within a touch.

He felt empty as he sat alone in the dark corridors of his TARDIS, illuminated by a gloomy yellow glow from the upper hallway. He was as empty as his spaceship, his stupid time-traveling spaceship that managed to get two lives taken away from him.

The emptiness was like dying. The gentle hum of the TARDIS' machinery below was saddening, it no longer provided a sound of excitement. He had no inspiration anymore. Usually, he'd think about maybe seeing Queen Victoria or fighting off some crazy alien race but now...all of that seemed pointless, like the silly dreams of a hopeful child. A hopeful, alone, depressed child.

There's that emptiness again.

* * *

**Review this preview please!  
**


	2. Scream

**Hope is a bit off-character in the last scene, sorry about that. He has a sense of humor, I've heard it, but I don't think he really reveals it until later in the game.**

* * *

**XxAlonexX**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

**Lightning pressed her back against a wall glowing with dim blue light.** A thin, silky tail flicked past the corner of her vision. There it was - the Behemoth.

Her eyes peered across the wall again. It wasn't the usual kind of behemoth. It didn't have the same sleek look as the others she came across. Surely it was feral.

She looked to her left and spotted Hope, hiding behind the wall with his Airwing drawn, awaiting her command. She agreed to let him take lead up until she saw the Frankenstein-like monster waiting on the other side. She told him to wait for her and he reluctantly agreed.

The behemoth paced back and forth then walked past the wall again, coming close within range of Lightning's Gunblade.

She gestured her hand for him to come. He did, not as quietly as she had hoped, but still reached her safely.

"Now, when I say 'go'," She began. "You go, understand."

Hope nodded.

"Okay," She said. "On three: One, two-AGH!"

The behemoth's paw swiped at her, knocking her across the steel walls.

"Light!" Hope yelled.

Within seconds she was back on her feet, blade ready. As her feet lightly touched the ground, blood poured from her side. The white fabric on her shirt was growing red slowly.

"Now," She demanded.

Hope flung his Airwing at the monster, drawing it's attention towards him.

He provoked, "Hey! Over here!"

The monster snorted in his face, and then roared, knocking Hope back a few feet. The two's eyes met for a mere second before the monster gashed into Hope's side, knocking him against the wall with a loud thud.

"-Ack!"

"-Hope!"

Lightning dashed to the beast's backside and struck it's hind legs. She fired a bullet into its foot and it stumbled to the ground.

*_Thud_*

Her green eyes gazed across the belittled beast to Hope, who had his side clutched as blood slowly seeped to the surface of his shirt.

'_It's not bad,' _Light thought. _'He'll be fine. Take care of the issue at hand.'_

She swung her sword into the air, preparing to strike as the behemoth's legs shot out at her like a horse, kicking her down again. Light jumped to her feet and took a deep breath, regaining her calm, and then looked for Hope. He was gone.

"Hope?!"

_*CRASH!*_

White light radiated from the behemoth as a bright strike hit its spine, striking it with power. Lighting put her hand up to cover her eyes.

As soon as the light cleared, the smell of burnt flesh filled Lightning's nostrils.

Coughing, she called for her ally, "Hope? Hope, answer me. Where are you?"

"I'm…right here," a gasping voice replied. The smoke cleared from her vision and there, two feet from the monster, stood Hope, coughing violently.

Lighting looked down at the corpse. "Nicely done-," She praised.

A small smile spread across Hope's feminine face.

"-But magic won't always save you."

Hope's smile faded to a serious frown as he nodded in understanding.

Light took another deep breath. _'That was a close one.'_

She took a step forward only to be met by a searing strike of pain from where the monster struck her in the side. Her legs failed to hold her up and she tumbled down to the ground.

"Light!" Hope dashed to her side. Light had her palm on the ground in attempts to support her weakened body. "I'm fine, Hope."

He didn't believe her.

"Really, I'm fine." She rose to her feet with well-hidden hesitation. "Let's look at you, okay?"

Hope nodded then said, "I'm fine, Light. It was just a scratch."

"Let's not take our chances. Get your shirt off," Lightning commanded.

The command took Hope by surprise, "W-wait, you want me to do what?!"

"I want you to take your shirt off," She replied coldly. "So I can examine your wound. That's not going to be hard, is it?" She stared at him, awaiting his reply.

"N-no, but-"

"But what," She questioned.

"Nothing," Hope replied, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

Lightning turned away from him, "If it helps, I'll look away."

Hope sighed, a sound that was accompanied by that of cloth slipping from his skin. A few seconds passed and Hope hadn't said anything, which began to worry the female soldier.

Light asked, "Are you done yet?"

"Um-uh-well-I mean-yeah," Hope stuttered.

"Okay," Lightning said as she slowly turned around.

Hope had one hand on his left arm, his head turned away from Light, trying to avoid any eye contact. His cheeks were still red. Obviously not too many older women asked him to take his shirt off.

Lightning understood his embarrassment but refused to acknowledge it. Instead, she found her eyes locked on the gash deep within his side.

One glance and she could already tell why he hadn't fallen over in agony – he had been poisoned.

Splintering of the behemoth's claws remained in Hope's side, covered in his blood, which already began to drizzle down his side.

Hope looked down at it and asked, "I don't feel anything…is that bad?"

"You've been poisoned," Lightning replied flatly. "Sit down."

Hope did as she said.

"Give me one of your gloves," She reached her hand out to his and opened her palm. He handed her the glove and she slipped it over her own hand. It failed to cover her whole hand but was enough to clean the wound. "I'm going to pull these splinters out and it's going to hurt. I'm sorry, Hope, but I have to."

"It's alright," He said. "I didn't follow you to be babied."

Lightning smiled.

Before she placed her hand inside of his open wound, ready to pick out the large amount of visible splinters, Hope said, "I like it when you smile."

He then added, with a small laugh, "Even if it looks a little cynical from my standpoint."

This time, the blush was present on Light's face.

'_Focus, Lightning, this is bad.'_

She shook off the emotions and said with a serious face, "Be quiet."

"Okay," Hope replied instantly before looking away from the gory scene engraved into his side.

Lightning picked out the first one.

Hope winced.

Lightning pulled another, and then another, more after that, finally coming to the largest one – basically half a claw – surrounded by ones of similar size.

Light thought, _'That thing had some rather fragile claws if swiping through Hope's skin did this much damage… Actually, they might be designed to do this.'_

"This isn't so bad," Hope said amidst a coming moan of agony.

Without any warning, Lightning ripped the largest splinter from his side, taking bits of red flesh with it.

"_AAAAAAGHHHH!"_

The blood flow increased.

'_This is getting really bad…'_

Hope's teeth were clenched, but Lightning could hear his muffled screams.

She ripped out another one.

His head twisted to the other side, followed by another muffled scream.

More blood, a lot more.

'_Last one,' _Light thought to herself. _'Last one.'_

With no hesitation, she ravaged the last, and longest, thorn from Hope's innards, taking even more flesh with her than intended.

This time, Hope did not muffle his scream.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"_

"That's it," She said.

His green-blue eyes drifted towards hers and they stayed looking at each other.

Hope sat there, still looking at her, his breath now gasps, his throat dry from screaming, and his eyes bloodshot from oncoming tears.

"Are you okay?" Light knew that was a pretty stupid question, seeing how he obviously _was not _okay. His response failed to surprise her.

"No," He said. "But I think I'll be fine in a minute. Can we just…," He paused to gasp. "Rest for a minute?"

"Yeah," She replied. "Let's rest."

Hope leaned his back against a wall, resting his head. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Better than you are, anyway," She answered. "I'll go find something to wrap around your waist. For now, why don't you relax?"

"Are you sure? I can still-,"

"I'm sure, Hope," Lightning interrupted. "I'll be back."

Hope nodded and sighed, then closed his eyes.

Light turned her head to him, and saw him motionless.

"Don't die."

Hope laughed weakly, "I'll try not to."

She started to walk away.

"`Not making any promises, though."

She looked at him again and let out a little laugh. He was smiling in a joke-ish manner. She hadn't heard Hope joke about anything, ever. It seemed strange to her.

'_Perhaps it's the poison.'_

* * *

**Review please! Give me your honest feed-back!**


	3. When Clank and Crash Collide

**Chapter 2**

* * *

**_*CRASH!*_**

The TARDIS bolted to the right, knocking the Doctor straight from his seat.

"Ack!"

He caught himself on the control panel as the spacecraft struggled to level.

Slamming his fist down on the golden-colored metal framing the panels, the Doctor exclaimed, "No, no! Not now! What are you doing?! No, no, no, no!"

he smashed his scrawny fingers on several keys, stumbling across the floor with speed.

A flash spread across the roof as sparks flew from the ceiling and exploded up from the floor. The TARDIS bolted to the left this time and launched him against the wall. His head hit with a thud, and his vision slowly became blurry.

He tried to crawl from the floor but another explosion knocked him against the wall.

_*Flash! Crash! Bang!*_

The racket tossed and turned through the halls of the TARDIS, ringing through the Doctor's ears as he slowly lost consciousness.

He reached a lengthy arm out, trying to grab onto the control panel desperately. His fingers just barely gripped the edge as the spaceship jerked again, knocking his head against the frame.

* * *

**Lightning opened a glowing blue cupboard adorned with a glowing X.**

'_Everything seems to glow around here,' _Light thought as she pulled on the discreet handle. Inside was a first aid kit which, as rotted and moss-covered as it looked, contained a miraculously clean white bandage-wrap.

She reached her hand inside-

_*BASH!*_

Her sword now drawn, Lightning prepared for ambush. Nothing happened.

"What the-"

_*BANG!*_

Light examined the area. Nothing was there. Not a soul.

Her eyes drifted from the floor to the sky. Leaves in a tree were rustling, but not from wind. Something fell through them, she knew it. Was it PSICOM?

Light looked back, eying the road to Hope, and then grabbed the bandages from the cupboard. She stuffed them in her red storage sack, making little noise, and then quietly stepped towards the rustling leaves.

A feeling of guilt came to her. She tried to shake it off.

'_Its better I make sure PSICOM doesn't ambush us when we're sleeping. Hope will be fine, he's a tough kid.'_

Light continued down the path. The ground clicked beneath her feet, mixing with the sound of roars in the distance. Smoke quickly began to rise from the spot, followed by a few more crashes. Light picked up pace, dashing by several creatures on her way to the crash-spot. She had to get there quickly.

The smell of burnt wood and roasted – something - filled Light's nostrils like an infection. She coughed continuously but dashed on. She finally came to the turn where there lay a small blue box, something Light had never seen before.

It had a light – or something - on top, a sloped roof, and a language she didn't recognize on the front. There were grey-tinted windows on all sides and two doors, both of which were gaping open, releasing smoke into the atmosphere. It was the strangest thing Light had seen and it was _definitely NOT _PSICOM. Well, maybe it was, but she hadn't seen it before, and she was pretty damn familiar with PSICOM's way of transportation.

She called, "Come out where I can see you!"

No answer.

She sighed, irritated, then walked towards it slowly. What was it and what was it doing in the Gapra Whitewood?

As she got closer, she saw it was made of navy-blue wood, something she also rarely saw. Light fired a bullet inside and heard it ricochet through the small box and disappear. The smoke was too strong to see through.

"What the hell?" Light asked no one in particular.

A clank came from the craft. Something fell to the floor and, judging by the sound, it was metal. Light took a deep breath of clean air then jumped inside, disappearing into the smoke.


	4. Blood

**I recommend you listen to the album 'Archangel' by Two Steps From Hell while reading this. It'll make it seem pretty cool.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

**Lightning reached her hands out to a railing, trying to grab hold of its slippery surface.**

*BAM!*

The core sparked, the console twitched and turned, and the floor seemed like snakes moving beneath their feet. The spaceship was completely out of control…all because Light blew a hole in it.

Another crash rang through her ears. She couldn't see, she couldn't hear. Nothing would hold still.

The Doctor, used to this behavior but still shocked, stumbled to the console and grabbed onto the small TV above head. His mind was racing. He had to gain control over the TARDIS, or risk landing in a whole 'nother universe. He'd hate to have that happen…again.

He peered inside the hole again, saw the sparking wires, and then grabbed the lever in front of him. He pulled it down, hoping it would land them somewhere he knew.

"What are you doing?!" Light yelled, only able to hear the stressing sounds of clashing metal.

The Doctor replied in a yell, "Trying to save our lives!"

Her hand finally got hold of the rail, hurdling herself to a stand.

'_Oh, god…' _Light's stomach was doing cartwheels inside of her. The world started to spin, as if it wasn't already, and she couldn't stand much longer. Her knees became weak.

She heard a laugh, "Ahaha!" and then groggily turned her head to see the Doctor running around the console, grabbing and turning things.

'_What the hell is going on?!' _Light thought, unable to let the words merge from her throat, afraid it might have a chunky friend.

The Doctor laughed, "Now we're talking!"

The racket seemed to stop slightly, enough for Light's lunch to retain itself in her stomach. Her head turned to the Doctor slowly. He was smiling.

Fists clenched, Light wanted to smack that very smile right off of his pretty face. And she was going to, had it not been for the TARDIS ramming itself into an oncoming asteroid.

"Aah!"

Her body toppled over the railing and hit the stone-like floor just above the core. The splinters jabbed in her side dug themselves deeper.

She let out a moan of pain and the whole world started to spin again. That same world-spinning nightmare brought her to a quick conclusion.

'_The poison,' _she thought. _'I must be seeing things. This can't really be happening. I have to go back to Hope. I have to get out of here, I have to.'_

Reaching another hand out, one resting on her wounded side, Light grabbed a décor-hole in the floor and attempted to pull herself forward. There was the door; she just had to reach it.

She dragged herself forward again. She could hear the mad man in the back yelling at his spaceship – no, he wasn't real. She had to forget this was even happening.

'_It's only a delusion. Remember your training, try to break the delusion with reality.'_

Light clung to her memories of Cocoon, hoping she could break the 'delusion'.

Another hand, another pull, and another crash. The TARDIS was falling to bits and Light needed to find a way out. Fast, before the whole thing imploded with her inside.

A buzz was heard and then there was darkness.

The TARDIS jolted back and forth again, striking another object.

It was still dark.

The TARDIS hit another asteroid.

Still dark.

Something – something big – fell from the ceiling, just above Lightning.

Light heard it come undone, but she couldn't see it.

Darkness prevailed.

Then, just as the lights had come on, a piercing scream was heard throughout the ship, echoing through its empty, lonely rooms.

The scream that was silenced just as quickly as it had come drew the Doctor's attention to Lightning.

He looked up, saw a chunk of spiral-like metal missing, and then looked back down at the floor. He saw blood – quite a bit of it, actually – and Lightning laying in it. There, on her crushed leg, sat the beam, slowly ripping its way through her flesh.

He had to idea what to do. What should he do? What could he do?

Light looked back at her leg, knowing she could no longer move on, and yet tried anyway. The pain would go away; she just needed to get of the TARDIS.

Resisting the desire to scream in agony, Light pulled herself again. She felt like she could practically hear her flesh ripping beneath the weight of the metal.

The Doctor rushed by her, attempting not to trip over his own feet, and not to slip in her blood. Reaching his hands beneath the chunk of metal, he lifted it inches from her leg. His eyes had caught grasp of the sight. She had a wound; it was deep, penetrating at least 2 inches into her leg. The blood was gushing out and not just from her leg, but from her side, too.

The Doctor pushed it up further.

"Move your leg, woman!" He commanded her.

She did such but with not as much speed as he had hoped. Another attack struck the TARDIS with greater force then before, knocking the Doctor down, causing him to drop the beam on Lightning's foot.

As soon as it fell, she held her tongue. She wouldn't scream.

Taking her other leg, now free, she kicked it from her foot. It staggered back. She kicked it again and, finally, she was free.

She rose to her feet, only to be toppled down again by her weak leg. Falling to her knees, she collided with the same cold ground as she had before, landing in a puddle of her own blood.

She looked at the man who had saved her without reason and saw that he was unconscious. She was alone now. If this was a hallucination, it was a pretty grisly one.

Her hand grabbed the glass platform and she pulled herself up onto it. Slipping through the rail, she landed hard. She had to figure out how to stop this thing – or at least get out – before she bled to death.

She pulled herself with much struggle to the console. She had seen what the Doctor did, well, sort of, but it didn't look hard.

Kneeling in front of the dash, she realized how truly outrageous the machine was. It looked like it needed multiple pilots, not just one, to control it.

'_This is ludicrous! I just need to leave. He's – he's…fictional…I need to get out of here and worry about my own skin, not his.'_

She had to reach the door. _She had to._

She got up onto one foot then slowly but surely made her way to the door.

The TARDIS was struck yet again, this one more violent than the last.

The lights flickered and Light was knocked to her feet. Her chin hit the glass, cracking it. She looked back at the door. She felt like it was calling her, _beckoning her _to come.

She dragged herself forward, struggling down the stairs, then reached the door.

The lights were flickering even more as the TARDIS went flying into a wall of some sort, crashing through dirt, and sending rocks everywhere. Light had no idea where she was, no idea what was going on, but she opened the door anyway. It swung open just as a large building came closer to her. Light ducked back inside but it was too late. She was flung out through the hole in the building's walls and collided with something or someone. They tossed and tumbled until the person landed ontop of her. She was beaten and bloody, unable to see who it really was.

The chaos slowed but the spinning didn't.

She looked past the figure's shoulder and saw the TARDIS lodged in the building's wall, surrounded by crumbling plaster and stone.

"Lightning?" the person above her asked. It was a man's voice and it sounded familiar. All she could see was his light hair and his-

The stranger placed his lips against hers and, within that very moment, she fainted from blood loss.


	5. It's Been Awhile

**Chapter 5**

* * *

"_Lightning?"_

The words slipped through her conscious like silk ribbons floating in the black of her mind.

"_Light?"_

The voice that spoke them was sweet, almost like a child's.

"_Lightning! Light, c'mon!"_

She recognized it and, in all the chaos, it brought her peace. It was a friend's voice, but whose?

"_Lightning, it's Hope-,"_

Her eyes shot open at the sound of his name. _Hope._

"_-Wake up."_

His hand touched her face. Their skin clapped together lightly as he tried to wake her from her deep sleep.

She turned to face him. Was it really Hope?

She forced her eyes to focus on the man's face. It couldn't have been Hope; the man speaking to her was far too old.

There were similarities, of course. The man had feminine features, off-white hair and greenish-blue eyes, just like the Hope she knew, but the man looked like he was in his mid-twenties, _not _like he wasfourteen.

He was close to her, though not as close as before when they were locked in a kiss. She startled and attempted to jump away from him. But she couldn't move. Something was wrong with her leg.

The muscles jolted, striking pain up and throughout her body.

She let out a vocal wince and "Hope" tried to calm her.

"Shhhh," He whispered to her in a loving tone. "Don't move. You'll hurt yourself."

Resisting the urge to hurdle him across the room, Light demanded, "Get off of me!"

"Hope" backed away, his hands in the air, fingers splayed, in a defensive gesture.

"Whoa! Okay, okay, I'll back up!"

Now Light knew he wasn't Hope. Hope was short, this guy was at least 5'11, almost a whole foot taller than the Hope she knew.

Her eyes never left his as he stepped closer.

"Sorry," He apologized. "I just haven't seen you in forever."

"What?" She asked, genuinely shocked.

He didn't hear her, "Gotta admit, you do look pretty good for thirty."

That was even more of a shock to Lightning.

"Thirty?! I am not thirty, not yet! What are you talking about? Who are you? What's going on? Where am I?"

Hope was staggered by the overwhelming amount of questions. "Calm down," He said, still smiling. Apparently the effects of kissing her hadn't worn off yet.

"How can I be calm when I don't even know who you are?!"

"Lightning," He exclaimed, the hurt evident in his voice. "It's me, Hope Estheim. I know it's been long, but I don't look _that _different, do I?"

Lightning was silent.

"Gonna take that as a 'yes'," he mumbled. He took another look at her then laughed, "You look just I remember…you're even in the same clothes…"

'_Just like I remember'? What?'_

"Hope's" face went blank. She looked _exactly _like he remembered. There were even the same holes in her jacket as there were before she –

"Lightning," he began. "When did you last see me?"

Light looked at the blue holographic-clock on the wall. She saw him three hours ago. He couldn't possibly have aged a decade within three hours. She was hallucinating, she had to be.

"I last saw Hope, the real one, three hours ago," She replied, uncaring of the young man's feelings.

"Lightning, it hasn't been three hours."

She was silent.

"It's been ten years."


	6. I'm The Doctor, 'BTW'

**Chapter 6**

* * *

**"That's impossible," She said, doubting the obvious.**

"Yeah, it is," Hope agreed. "But it's true, Light. We haven't seen each other in ten years."

"I don't believe you," her voice was serious, like she was trying to convince herself it wasn't real even when she knew it was.

'_I must be dreaming. All of this has to be some sort of delusion.'_

"Light," he sighed.

She interrupted, "Don't call me that. I don't know you."

The sorrow wept through his voice again, "Light, it's me, Hope Estheim! It's been ten years, I know, but the least you can do is _pretend _to recognize me! I haven't seen you in so long…"

He stepped closer to her.

"Stay away from me, last warning."

Hope drew in a sigh. She really didn't recognize him and, from the looks of it, he'd have to take a different approach at getting her to believe him.

"Okay, wait! Ask me anything that only I-err-_Hope _would know!"

"Where were we when you last saw me?"

"We were in the Gapra Whitewood."

"Stupid question, I just told you that."

Hope sighed.

"Who killed your mother?"

"PSICOM did…but Snow had a part in it all…"

"You can probably research that."

"No, you probably can't-,"

"-Shut up."

Hope was silent.

"What was the last thing I said to you?"

"_Don't die._"

This time, Light was the one without words. He answered correctly to all three of her questions.

"Oh!" Hope exclaimed. "Look at this."

He slowly lifted the corner of his white button-up shirt, revealing a large, jagged scar where the behemoth had struck Hope. There were little holes in the scarred flesh from where Lightning ripped the shards out.

Still without words, Lightning stared at the mark.

"See?" He asked. "It's me, Hope, not some freaky stalker. Now, will you please just let me take care of your leg?"

"Hope," she mumbled, tears boiling up in her eyes.

"Oh, Light, please don't cry…" he said as he approached her once again. His arms were almost around her before she used her good leg to kick him across the room, slamming his back into the wall.

The tears were faked.

Light tried to pull herself up from the ground again.

"Lightning!" Hope exclaimed with a small tinge of fury.

"I told you to stay away, and I meant it," she said, still struggling to her feet.

He started to beg her, "Lightning, please! You have got to believe me!"

"No, I don't," She replied. "You're not Hope Estheim, none of this is real, and I definitely didn't travel ten years into the future just to get violated by some creep with a pretty face."  
"I am not trying to violate you!"

"Whatever," she said as heartlessly as possible.

"Light, please," he begged as she finally came to a stand.

"You should listen to him," a weary, disembodied voice said in the background.

Both Lightning and Hope turned their heads to the doors on the TARDIS, staring at a tall figure lurking out from the dark box. He looked like he was going to barf and faint all at the same time as he attempted to balance himself on the TARDIS' doorframe.

Flicking his sonic screwdriver up in the air, aiming it at Hope, he cleared Lightning's suspicion, "He is, in fact, Hope Estheim and it is, in fact, ten years into the future."

Hope gestured a hand to the Doctor, still looking at Lightning, and exclaimed, "See! He believes me!"

Hope looked at him in shock then back at Lightning, "Wait a minute, who is he?!"

"I…really don't know," Lightning said.

"I'm the Doctor," he replied. "And you just time traveled in my TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space, 'BTW'."

The Doctor then fainted back into the dark bowels of his time-traveling spaceship.


	7. Hold Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

**Chapter 7**

* * *

**The Doctor, now sitting at Hope's dining room table across from Lightning, had several chunks of ice packed into a cloth pressed against the back of his head.** They were all sitting in silence with good reason. No one knew what to say. What was there to say? 'Oh, yeah, you just traveled ten years into the future and my spaceship is wrecked so it looks like we'll be here for awhile, get comfy'?

He couldn't say anything to comfort them. But, in his opinion, the only person who really needed comforting was Lightning. She was having a pretty hard time accepting everything. She _isn't _dreaming, this _isn't _a delusion, and there is _no way _back until the TARDIS is repaired, which is broken because of her, and that handsome young man sitting diagonal to her is _the actual _Hope Estheim.

_'That is a lot to take in'_, the Doctor admitted to himself.

His hazel-colored eyes drifted to Hope, who looked like he was going to scream, containing it by placing a clenched fist before his mouth.

"So…" The Doctor said slowly, attempting to start conversation amidst the eerie silence.

"So," Hope said.

Light nodded her head in agreement, mumbling, "Mm-hmm."

Silence fell again. There was nothing anyone could say about what just happened. Even the Doctor, who usually had something to say even if he shouldn't say anything, was speechless. He could try and explain, sure, but he thought it might be best to let the people figure things out on their own. Besides, he was in an entirely different dimension. He had no idea what they're customs were.

"So, you were getting bandages for me," Hope began, "When you ran into the-the-what was it again?"

"The Doctor."

"_The Doctor _and you were kidnapped? I do not understand any of this."

"I know, and neither do I, but if this isn't a delusion, then what we don't understand is true," Lightning confirmed.

Hope looked at the Doctor, "And you travel through time, correct?"

"Yes, I do."

"Hm," Hope said, then placed his fist in front of his mouth, falling into silence yet again.

"You could bite through your finger if you do that," The Doctor said, warning Hope.

"I really don't care right now," Hope replied cruelly.  
Lightning couldn't help but see a change in his attitude. He seemed somewhat…crueler…since she last saw him. Of course, it had been ten years. People change in ten years.

Light was on the same boat with the Doctor. What do you say to someone you left for dead ten years ago? 'I'm sorry I left you to die, please don't hate me'?

Hope looked back at Lightning. He hadn't seen her in what felt like forever and, for him, it really was. She was just as beautiful as he remembered, even in her severely wounded state. He had yet to regret kissing her and he wondered if she thought anything about that, but from the way she was acting, he wasn't sure she remembered. And thus he didn't dare bring it up again.

All he wanted to do was pull her close and tell her just how much he missed her. The moment she fell through the wall, every last feeling he had for her came rushing back at him like his old Airwing, only he lacked the talent to keep it from hitting him in the face. He wanted to kiss her again and again…but deep down beneath all of the love he felt, he wanted to rip her limbs off and feed her alive to the same wild beasts that almost ate him more than once. He wanted to abandon her when she needed him most, he wanted to drown her, he wanted to poison her, he wanted to stab her, he wanted to watch her suffer, he wanted to take an ax to her forehead and chop her up, and, most of all, he wanted to hold her, tell her he loved her, and kiss every inch of her…then probably kill her afterwards.

'_Hope, stop; just stop. It's not her fault she was kidnapped. The only person you should blame is The Doctor. It's his fault she was taken from you, so just relax.' _ Hope tried to calm himself, keeping his eyes away from the butcher's knife in the kitchen sink, trying to put all the emotional blame on the Englishman at the other end of the table, and yet the scars on his body claimed another tale, urging him to catch Light off guard just so he could hurt her in the same way she hurt him.

'_I am not a monster, I wouldn't hurt her; I wouldn't even try. I know better than that.'_

Lightning looked down at her wounded leg and side, patched up considerably by the man she abandoned.

Light wasn't going to apologize to him. It wasn't her fault she abandoned him for ten years. If anyone should apologize, it would have to be the Doctor.

'_Besides,' _Light thought. _'He doesn't seem that mad.'_

Light was truly unaware of the surprise to come.

* * *

**Give it a few chapters and you'll understand what's going on.**


	8. War Raging in the Heavens

**Chapter 8**

* * *

**Lightning stood up shakily from her chair, looking down at Hope.**

"May I have a glass of water?"

"Yeah," he replied, standing up. "I'll get one for you."

"No, I can do it," Light said, though her trembling legs disagreed.

"Light," Hope said. "You really shouldn't walk with that kind of a wound."

"I'll be fine," She replied as she hobbled away from the table.

"Light," he sighed.

Light was only a few feet from the kitchen before her knees buckled and she nearly fell on her head. Hope's strong arm caught her, and he said, "No, you won't. Let me help you sit back down, okay?"

Drawing in a sigh, Light exhaled in melancholy. She hated how he was taking care of her when nearly four hours ago, she was taking care of him…or, she was going to if it hadn't been for sparky over in the living room and his flying time machine.

Hope sat her down in her seat gently as to not hurt her harmed leg. He then walked into the kitchen, grabbed a translucent glass from a white cupboard, and filled it with water from the sink. The butcher's knife glared at him through the bottom of the glass, practically begging him to force it through Light's back.

'_I'll make it quick…but painful…no, no, she should die slowly...slowly and brutally…'_

He felt the cool black handle slip into his palm. He squeezed it tightly, like a friend he had missed for a long time.

_'The Doctor is in the other room... I could lure Lightning to where she wouldn't be heard and then stab her...I could dump the body out one of the windows...The Doctor would never even know I killed her...'_

Suddenly, the cup started to overflow, pouring ice-cold water all over the backside of his hand.

Gasping, Hope dropped the knife into the sink, where it landed loudly. He then shut off the water, dumped a little from the glass, cautiously peering out the closed blinds hanging over the window above the sink, afraid that perhaps something or someone saw him.

Drying off the glass with the uplifted corner of his shirt, he gave it to Lightning, who took it from him baring a suspicious look.

"Sorry about the wait," He apologized in a shaky voice, not helping the odd suspicion she was obviously experiencing.

Hope sat down in the same seat he had sat in before, this time with his eyes carefully trained onto Light's face as she drank the water.

His stare was bugging her, and just as she was about to say something to him, the Doctor emerged from the living room, where he had been overlooking the TARDIS' damage.

He found something out, something that he knew Lightning wouldn't like.

'_I really should tell her…no, I can't. If I do, who knows what that mad woman will do?'_

"I have some news!" The Doctor exclaimed, breaking the silence.

"Good news?" Hope asked in a wishful tone.

"Well, yeah-no-no, most of it is bad news. Actually, I only have bad news, but it's news nonetheless!"

"Spit it out already," Light demanded in her signature cold attitude.

"Well, maybe if you say _please_."

Even Hope had had enough of the Doctor, "Just say it already, Doc, we don't have time for games."

"Fine," he mumbled.

"The TARDIS' core has suffered extensive damage, not as bad as your wall, perhaps, but still pretty bad, and we may be here for awhile until I can fix it, which is going to require a decent amount of parts and little knick-knacks," The Doctor responded, speaking quickly as he usually does.

Hope said, "There's a lot of broken down machinery around here you can salvage, I'm sure you'll find something useful."

"Ah, yes, and that brings up one of my many questions: Where, exactly, is 'around here'?" The Doctor asked.

"We're on Cocoon, right, Hope? This looks like a common city home to me," Light observed.

Hope let out a nervous laugh, "About that…Oh, where do I begin…? Umm, well, a lot has changed since you left, Light…"

"What do you mean?"

Hope didn't know where to begin. How do you explain Cocoon's—

"How much has changed? Where are we?" Light's look was serious, and not in a reassuring way.

She only now noticed how almost all of the blinds were closed, except for one in his bedroom. Pushing herself out from her chair, she approached the large bedroom window with wispy, translucent white curtains hanging in front of it. White light came from the room, like they were sitting in a blank field.

"No—Light—stop!" Hope thrust himself up and grabbed the wobbly-walking woman by her wrist.

"Let go of me! I want to know where we are!" Light tried to pull her arm from his grasp.

"Light, I really don't think you should—,"

"—Let go!"

She knocked him against the bookcase behind them with a powerful shove. His back hit its wooden shelves with equal force, causing a few books to fall to the floor.

She finally marched into the room, its bed unmade, a few pieces of clothing strung across the floor, two of which looked like women's underwear, and then pulled open the curtains. Bright, pure light flared into her eyes and, as she placed a hand before them, a flying monster the size of an airship passed by the window at an extremely close pace, his dagger-like tail grazing the window's glass.

Hope reached Lightning and pulled her away from the window as the beast passed, pushing them both to the ground. He had cocooned her in his arms, afraid the flying creature would knock the window out and shoot glass into her.

As it passed, Lightning poked her head out and looked over his shoulder. Out the large square window, she saw blue skies, trees, grass, rock formations, and beasts running through the green fields.

She mumbled in shock, "You have got to be kidding me…"

Hope let go of her and took in a deep breath. This was going to require some explaining. Maybe more than _some_.

Standing up, he backed away from Lightning, allowing her to take it all in.

_He was living on Gran Pulse-_

"I told you things changed, Lightning."

_And Cocoon was destroyed-_

Her eyes were wide. There in the air hung Cocoon, crushed, shattered, with pieces of it falling. It looked like it was in chaos. Bright orange spots grew on its glassy surface then faded slowly.

_War raged up in the sky-_

'_War,' _she thought. _'War happened…but why flee to Gran Pulse?'_

Hope scratched the back of his head. He didn't know how to begin.

_A war between humanity and the fal'Cie-_

"I know what you're thinking, Light, and I'll explain willingly but—,"

"You'd better start now," She said flatly.

_A war started by one angry child-_

Hope sighed.

_And a group of l'Cie-_

The same beast flew by the window again, this time roaring as he did so. The roar was loud and it stung Lightning's ears.

_Almost all of which were now dead._

Suddenly, the door to Hope's bathroom opened and a woman wearing only a towel stepped out, her long brown hair wet.

The woman asked, running a towel through her wet hair, unaware of the other woman in the room, "Hope, what's going on?"

Lightning turned her head to the door slowly, as if she was dreading whatever may be standing there.

The towel-woman looked at Lightning on the floor then gasped.

"Lightning, is that really you?!"


	9. Stop, Just Stop

**Chapter 9**

* * *

**"How do you know who I am?" Light demanded an explanation.**

"Well, Hope has—,"

"Claire?!" Hope yelled in shock at the woman in the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

'_Claire?' _Lightning thought. _'That's my—,'_

"What do you mean?" The woman asked. Her voice was kind, which matched her soft features and kind expression. The tone of honest confusion seeped through her words when she said, "I live—,"

"Claire," Hope sighed. "I'm sorry, but I need you to get your stuff together and leave. Can you do that?"

"But Hope, we haven't even been introduced," She pleaded, her green eyes staring deep into Lightning. Regardless of the kind smile stretched across her face, her eyes were filled with hatred. That very hatred burned into Lightning like a branding iron. "I'm Claire, Hope's wi—,"

Hope cut her off, "Claire," He said, gesturing his hand to the pretty brunette. "This is Lightning." He gestured his hand towards the beaten soldier, feeling rather ugly in her manly attire. "Lightning, this is Claire. Okay, great, introductions are outta the way, you need to get back to your house." He grabbed the underwear that was strung across the floor, a green tartan dress and heels, and then handed them to her; literally shoving her out the front door.

As she scooted by, she saw the TARDIS lodged in the living room wall.

"Oh my god! Hope, what happened, what's going on?!"

He then shut the door in her face. Pressing his ear to the door, he listened as she left his front door. He then peered out the window and saw that she was gone.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips, like he had just stopped some insane disaster from happening. And he had.

'_That was close.'_

He wasn't going to let Lightning know about Claire. Not yet, anyway.

Light hobbled from the bedroom and The Doctor emerged from the living room.

They asked in unison, "Who was she?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, Light's arms crossed at her chest, her eyes peering at The Doctor intensely.

"A friend…of sorts," Hope replied vaguely.

"Who uses your shower and strips in your bedroom?" Light added, arms still crossed.

"No, it's not like _that_," Hope tried to defend himself.

"It looked like _that_," the Doctor said.

"She's just a friend, okay? I didn't let her in, she didn't strip in my bedroom – well, not that I'm aware of – and there is nothing going on between us, alright? She just follows me around; she's like my stalker."

'_Liar,' _Hope called himself on his own behavior. _'You are such a liar.'_

Lightning wasn't convinced, nor was the Doctor.

"Forget it," Hope said. "Let's just get your spaceship out of my wall, okay?"

* * *

**"On three," Hope began. "One…two…three!"**

The Doctor shoved with all of his might against the blue-painted panels of the TARDIS, Hope beside him, doing the same. The Doctor wanted to just jump in the TARDIS and fly it out of Hope's crumbling wall but, thanks to Lightning, he couldn't. The whole thing was a dead weight.

Lightning sat down in a small white arm chair, leg propped up on the ottoman, a grim look on her face.

Hope shoved again. Lightning noticed that the TARDIS was moving unevenly, Hope's side was out more than the Doctor's.

"If you would just let me help you," She began.

"No, Light," Hope responded.

"You would've been done an hour ago."

Hope turned to look at her, "And you would've been dead on the floor in a puddle of your own blood."

_That image almost sounded pleasing to him._

Light sighed. She didn't like how witty and self-reliant Hope had become. She started to miss the cute little boy that didn't question her authority, and was rather determined to get back to him. She had only traveled into the future, it's not like this was the present time. She hadn't been in that spaceship for ten years, luckily, and as soon as all was done and said, she could just go back.

Her eyes fluttered to Hope once again as he turned back to the TARDIS, still attempting to push it out. He had suggested multiple times that they should pull it inside, not push it out, and every time the Doctor told him just to push it out, Hope said he knew someone who could help. And, of course, the Doctor said they would be fine.

Light was still having a hard time accepting the fact that the man standing before her was Hope Estheim, and his change of attitude definitely wasn't helping her grasp the reality of it all. She was pleased to see that he would obviously outgrow his short height, and that he at least looked more like a man than a girl in boy's clothes. He was handsome and, if he didn't have a partner, she would be surprised.

'_Claire,' _she thought. _'He might be with her.'_

Somehow, that pained her. Actually, the thought of Hope being with someone other than herself was painful.

-She could claim him while she has the chance…-

'_Lightning, stop. This is insane.'_

-He did kiss her when he first saw her, after all…-

'_Get your head out of the gutter and back in the game. This is serious. You have no time for screwing around.'_

-He was pretty cute…-

'_What are you thinking?! Stop now!'_

-She hadn't been that close to someone for awhile; maybe it would even be fun…-

'_FUN?! Oh, god! Light stop, just stop!'_

She then managed to shake that shameful thought process from her head and focus on the task at hand_._

Or so she thought.

As she watched him try to push the TARDIS from the wall, sweat dripping down his brow, her breath got a little heavier.

He was _really _cute…

Unaware she had rolled over to face him; Light fell from the chair, landing right on her face.

"Ack!"

The sound caught Hope off guard and he came rushing to her side.

"Light, are you okay?" He asked in a frantic voice.

_'I wish you would just break your neck already...'_

She was fine, and that fall had managed to knock her back to her senses. Those home-made painkillers he gave her must have had some sort of brain-fogging chemical in them. She would never have looked at Hope in that light an hour ago.

It was definitely the pills. It had to be. She was _not _attracted to him. _Not at all._

Just then, the Doctor managed to push the TARDIS through the hole, and it fell through the air. He had been inside tinkering with it so that it would transport to a safe location before impact, or stop if it detected a person beneath. As it fell down, he was hoping that the back up would kick in.

It was less than two feet from the ground before a low, manly scream came from beneath it followed by a crash.

Light crawled to her knees with Hope's help, and then asked the Doctor, her voice serious, "What the hell was that?"

"Well," he began. "I believe I've crushed someone."


	10. Death and Doom's Chaos-Covered Idol

**Chapter 10**

* * *

**"You _what_?!" Light demanded, still on all fours against the floor.**

Hope dropped Lightning and quickly rushed to the hole, practically shoving the Doctor aside. He glanced out the hole, his eyes searching the ground beneath the TARDIS with intensity.

"I-I don't see any blood," Hope said, his voice frantic and shaky. "That's a good sign, right? Maybe it just knocked him outta the way…"

"Well, you could go see if he's alright," Light suggested with her face on the cold floor, the result of Hope _literally_ dropping her.

The look on Hope's face suggested that he knew the voice and, while Light recognized it, she couldn't put a face to the scream. However, it seemed Hope already had.

Without thinking, Hope immediately opened the door and left the house, the Doctor following close behind.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Light said. "Just leave me on the floor. Not like I give a damn. Whatever."

She sat there then placed her hand on the ottoman to her left, trying to pull herself up. Her fingers gripped the velvet-y surface only to slide off, causing her to face-plant yet again.

She sighed._  
_

_'Great. Just great.'_

* * *

**Hope's feet glided down the stairs from his house, running to the pavement that led to a road.** Along that road were houses not much different from the ones in Hope's hometown, extended up into the air on large rock formations. They were in a canyon valley that was filled to the brim with plant life. The Doctor had never seen anything like it. The plants were colorful and large, flowers the size of California Redwoods extended up into the air with great heights, surrounding them in fairy-like magnificence. The Doctor felt very small compared to the seemingly genetically enhanced flora and the vast plains surrounding them. Rolling hills rested just above the canyon mouth, every foot parading with its own form of life. The roars of unknown beasts echoed through the air like thunder coming after a distant lightning strike. The skies were pure blue, untainted by even the smallest of clouds. At this point, he was more than sure he had landed himself in an alternate dimension. And yet, he had no desire to figure out a way back to his world. He was too trapped in the beauty of Gran Pulse.

And yet, in all of it's glory, above hang Cocoon, like an idol of death, it's surface a masquerade of war and violence, clouded by the evil resting upon it. How is it that, with all of this beauty down below, just above it was a tombstone people fled like Death on his horse was racing to catch them? How is it that, after all these years, people completely ignored the world around them, caught up in their delusions of divine protection? The Doctor always wondered if a strong belief often led to the downfall of a great civilization, but now, he had his answer.

Hope called to him, "C'mon! What are you standing around for?! You're the one who crushed the guy!"

The Doctor hadn't realized he stopped in his tracks to gaze at the falling world dangling in the clear air. A small cloud, more like a hazy-white puff, solemnly glided across the front of Cocoon. The Doctor snapped to his senses and quickly rushed to Hope's side, who had already crossed four houses, almost to the side of his house.

The TARDIS had fallen a great feet. If someone really was underneath it, they'd be one lucky fool to live through that.

Hope had absolutely no idea what the TARDIS weighed but, if it was as he estimated, the person underneath would be nothing more than a puddle of blood and bones by now.

An image popped into his mind, an unfortunately pleasant one, of Lightning squashed beneath the bulky spaceship. Before he let the psychotic smirk forcing its way onto his face out, he suppressed the thought and forced himself to focus on the person he was currently worried about.

'_Please, please tell me it's not 'him',' _Hope thought. _'Please don't be him…'_

The two finally reached the spot where the TARDIS had supposedly crushed a man. Hope looked beneath the TARDIS, trying to see if something – or someone – was squashed. He was relieved to find no trace of human remains beneath it.

"Okay…" Hope said, his voice _still _frantic. "I don't see a body. Do you see a body? I don't see a body."

"Relax," the Doctor said, attempting to calm the verklempt young man. "Maybe the TARDIS just _pushed _- (he made a small pushing gesture with his hands) - out of the way."

Hope's green-blue eyes drifted to a spot of crumbling rock to his right. With in the crumbling pile sat a man, who was perpetually crushed against the rock wall holding up Hope's home, with blonde hair, handsome features, and a scruffy chin. He was tall, around 6'7, and had a bulky build.

The Doctor had no idea who the hell he was but, judging by the look on Hope's face, he knew the man a little more than he wanted to at the moment.

"_Snow?!"_


	11. Too Stubborn To Die

**Chapter 11**

* * *

**Snow, as the Doctor assumed was his rather lame title, opened his eyes slowly and a charming smirk spread across his face as Hope approached him.**

"Snow, are you okay?!"

He laughed, "As okay as a guy who just got slammed against a giant rock by a big blue box can be."

The laugh was pained, almost faked, as if he didn't want to worry Hope.

"I'm just gonna take that as a 'no'," Hope said.

Snow looked over at the Doctor, "Who's the swizzle-stick?"

The Doctor was offended.

"I am _not _a swizzle-stick! I'm just tall…and…thin…"

"You're a swizzle-stick."

Hope examined Snow, looking for any cuts or bruises.

"Kid, I'm fine; alright? Just a little…dazed, that's all."

The Doctor noticed that Snow wasn't looking at Hope, and was instead looking at a far off tree-flower as if it was a person.

"If you were fine, you'd be looking at me, not that tree," Hope quipped, quickly proving the bulky man wrong.

Aside from an obvious welt on the head, Snow appeared to be fine. Though, inside, he wasn't.

Hope grabbed the man, draped his arm over his own, and began to practically _scrape _him from the rock. Hope gave the Doctor a look, which instantaneously caused the Doctor to rush over and grab Snow's other side.

As they finally pulled him from the wall, Hope said, "We need to get you to a doctor."

Snow groaned, "He's out searching for medicinal herbs. Looks like your on duty, kid."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Snow," Hope sighed. He still treated him like he was that fragile little fourteen-year-old just waiting to explode and, in Hope's opinion, it was beyond annoying. He was twenty-four, for god's sake! He had survived the fall of Cocoon, he had built a town for refugees, and he was even marri-

The word that almost crossed his mind made him sick to the stomach. He didn't want to think about it anymore. How could he? Lightning was back in his life.

* * *

**The door opened,** and, while Light couldn't actually see anything due to her face being stuck to the floor, she heard two sets of footsteps and one extra that was more of a limp than a step.

The door closed and she yelled, "Who's there?!"

"It's just us, Light," Hope then realized he had left her on the floor. He gasped, rushed over to her, and picked her up. Placing her on the chair, Hope's hand slid across her thigh, involuntarily forcing its way up her skirt.

"Hey! Hands off!" She said, her hand smacking his.

His face grew red, "Whoops, sorry!"

Lightning stared at him blankly. She was unimpressed.

Hope laughed in an awkward manner, his face bright red. He looked at her for a moment more, nervously scratching the back of his head.

"Right," he mumbled, turning away from her. "I have wounded to tend to."

As Hope moved towards the man he had thrown on the sofa across from her, Lightning couldn't help but feel like she knew him from somewhere.

He was older than her, probably in his early thirties, but appeared rather young aside from the faint wrinkles on his forehead. He was scruffy, blonde, and handsome. He was unconscious, his lips parted slightly as if he was about to kiss someone – or perhaps he was talking in his mind. Light felt like she knew him, but she couldn't place it. He was dressed in a long black trench coat that was frayed at the ends and collar, combat boots of the same color, baggy gray-blue pants tucked into those boots, and a torn dark-red shirt. His medium-length blonde hair framed his face, looking as if the winds of Gran Pulse had styled it for him. He had black leather gloves on, two belts that crossed his pants diagonally, and a long chain necklace with a shield-shaped pendant dangling from it.

His face was very familiar and, as Light stared at it more, things started to click.

She pushed herself up from the chair.

"Is he the guy you squished?" She asked the Doctor.

"Unfortunately, yes," The Doctor replied.

Light slowly scooted herself a few inches from the chair, gently landing her feet on the floor. She had to get closer to him. She knew him, she was sure of it.

"Luckily for him, he passed out a few minutes ago. He wouldn't like what I'm about to do to his shoulder," Hope said, unaware Light was working her way towards him.

Hope sat the man up then told the Doctor to grab some ice for him and wrap it in a towel.

The man was still unconscious, his head tipping to the back of the sofa.

Hope walked behind him, squeezing himself between the wall and the couch, and then grabbed the man's shoulder.

Light was now mere inches from him, examining his lifeless face.

'_Now you have really got to be kidding me…' _She thought. _'How the hell are you still alive? Oh, right. You're too stubborn to die, aren't you?'_

Hope's fingers dug deep into the man's shoulder. Light could practically hear it popping as Hope pulled it back.

Hope yelled, noticing Light in front of the man, "Light! What are you doing?!"

A loud cracking sound came and the man sprung to life, screaming.

Within mere seconds, Light's lips were pressed against his, in a completely unintentional kiss.

Now she knew who it was. And she was utterly disgusted.

* * *

**Jeez, why does everyone kiss Light? ;)**


	12. Bad Thoughts Always Lead to Bad Dreams

**T+ - Brief (but not overly descriptive) Sexual Content**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

* * *

**The two instantly pulled away from each other, beyond appalled at what they just did.**

"Sis?!"

"Snow?!"

The two - Snow now standing up in shock - stared at each other. Obviously, he hadn't seen her for awhile, but it had only been a day or two since she last saw him, and she wasn't sad about that.

Now, however, he looked beaten and scarred. He had a scar on his right shoulder that looked as if someone had stabbed him with a serrated knife. It wasn't nearly as grisly as the scar on Hope's side, but that didn't necessarily mean it was any better.

"I'm not your sister," Lightning said in the same voice she usually used when addressing Snow.

"You haven't changed one bit…" He said, looking at her in the same way Hope had when they saw each other again.

Lightning said, "People don't change that easily."

"Sis-,"

"-I'm not your sister. How many times do I have to tell-"

Snow asked, "Where did you go?"

The Doctor cut in, "Well, she went with me…_into the future._"

Snow turned and looked at the Doctor. "Alright, well, that explains—wait a minute, did you just say _'into the future'_?!"

"Yes, I did," The Doctor replied, unaware of why Snow was so surprised.

Snow took in a deep breath, and then said calmly, "That's impossible."

"Well, not really," The Doctor said. "It's pretty possible."

Hope said, "He's telling the truth, Snow."

Lightning sighed, ignoring her leg's muscles that were practically screaming at her to sit down. She didn't want to show injury, not in front of Snow. That would be embarrassing.

"So," Snow said slowly, anger seeping through his voice. "You went gallivanting off into the sunset with some swizzle-stick, leaving Serah and the rest of us behind?"

He was looking down at her, as if she was some sort of irresponsible child; like he was_ above her_. That pissed Lightning off. If anyone was an irresponsible child, it was him.

She took another deep sigh. "Snow, I was kidnapped by the Doctor, I did not go '_gallivanting off into the sunset' _with him. It was an accident. It's not like I was with him for ten years."

This time it was the Doctor's turn to sigh. Lightning was wrong; so very wrong.

Snow shook his head. Light could see that his fists were clenched. She knew he wouldn't attack her, but he probably wouldn't hesitate to hurt the Doctor.

"Fine," he said. "It's all in the past. None of that matters now."

Lightning was surprised. He was…forgiving her?

Her legs grew wobbly as she slowly started to lose her balance. Before falling flat on her face, she decided to park herself on the sofa.

She had some thinking to do.

* * *

**Several hours had passed,** and Hope still couldn't stop thinking about how everything would've been different had Lightning not left. Would they still have destroyed Cocoon? Would they still be living on Gran Pulse? Would Vanille, Fang, and Sazh still be with them? He never realized how much even the simplest of changes can alter the future. He had talked about destroying Cocoon with Lightning but, as time went on, he realized how horrid that would be…or maybe Snow just got to him…

If Lightning hadn't left, would their relationship be different?

He had lain awake night after night thinking about that. Did he ever even have a chance? He was fourteen, she was twenty-one; that relationship is probably illegal somewhere.

And then there were the other times… he used to search for her, hoping that maybe, just maybe she'd show up for him. At the same time, he was thinking about all the things he could've done to her had she shown up. He had suffered, she should have a turn, too. She deserved a little pain, didn't she? She _literally_ threw him to the pantherons, and he wanted to do the same.

He sat on the edge of his bed, the dim light from Cocoon illuminating his dark bedroom. Snow had left; he really hadn't much to say. _What could he say?_

He laughed. That same sentence had passed through his head multiple times. Those four words explained his entire day since Light crash landed back into his life. _What could he say?_

'_I love you; I miss you; why did you leave me; die, bitch'?_

He tried to talk himself out of the 'die, bitch' bit but he couldn't. He knew he loved her, every time he saw her, his heart fluttered with excitement.

-That was a really girly way to describe it, but it was good enough for him.-

His eyes glided to the chair where she sat alone in the dark. She hadn't said anything, no requests; she didn't even ask to have the bed.

'_Of course she didn't. You hadn't offered.'_

He sighed, still looking at her. She hadn't noticed – or perhaps she was asleep – that he was staring at her. She didn't stir, her head merely rested on the arm of the chair with grace. She was definitely asleep.

Another burst of light came from the surface of Cocoon, momentarily lightning up Lightning's face.

'_God, she's beautiful.'_

Her eyes opened to small slits as she put up her hand to shield her face from the burst.

As the light died down, she noticed he was staring at her. Their eyes met awkwardly. Hope looked away instantly.

'_Don't think about her, just think about…whipped cream…yeah...think about whipped cream…'_

The thoughts of Lightning then collided with those of whipped cream, making a gratuitously sexual image in his head.

'_Ack! No! Stoppit! Just stop! Think about marshmallows.'_

That only made it worse.

'_How about nothing, eh, Hope? That sounds nice, doesn't it?'_

His mind cleared and he could finally focus again.

He turned his head to see if Light had gone back to sleep and, instead, he found her standing at his bedside.

He said in an awkward manner, "Oh-uh-hi, Lightning. Shouldn't you-uh-be sitting down or…something?"

She rested her hands on his chest.

"What…are you doing?"

She then lifted her knee and placed it on the bed at his side. She slowly started to push him back against the bed.

He grabbed her wrists, trying to stop her. "Okay, seriously. Is this some sort of sick joke? Did Snow put you up to this? He probably wouldn't do that but-"

"-Just relax," she whispered in the sexiest tone he had ever heard. Her breath caressed his neck. Her chest was heaving.

'_Oh…my…god…'_

His back now against the bed, she pulled his shirt off, and removed the layers of clothing on her upper body. They slid off of her skin like silk and landed on the floor with little sound.

Grabbing his shoulders, she rolled him on top of her. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she pulled his head down to hers, locking their lips in a kiss.

He kissed her lips, her neck, and her chest. Their cold bodies pressed against each other, her moans of pleasure echoing through the dark atmosphere and then—

Hope's eyes burst open, and he sat straight up with intense speed. He was sitting in his bed – alone – and he was rather sweaty. He looked to his right just to make sure no one was there and, luckily, no one was. He peered over into the living room and all he could see were Lightning's feet resting against the arm of the sofa.

He sighed.

"What's wrong with my mind?"

* * *

**Classic Joss Whedon-style 'What the hell, is this really happening' moment. ;)**


	13. I Don't Want To Hurt Anyone But You

**Chapter 13**

* * *

**"So, this is a time traveling space ship?"**

The Doctor jumped up, slamming his head onto the glass panels of the floor above him, startled by someone at the open door.

It was Snow, looking rather handsome in the dim morning light.

"Ow! Don't just jump up on-," he sighed- "Yes, yes, it is. Now go away. I'm working."

The Doctor then turned his attention back to the crippled TARDIS' core that was slowly eating itself apart.

Snow looked around, poking his head through the doorway. He hadn't seen anything like it before.

"It's bigger—,"

'_Oh please say it,' _The Doctor thought.

"—on the inside then it is on the outside."

The Doctor laughed a laugh of triumph. Someone had said it! Finally, _someone_ said it! _Finally!_

A smile spread across the Doctor's face. "Thank you!"

Snow was confused, "Uh…why?"

The Doctor sighed again, "Oh, never mind, you...good-mood-killer..."

Stepping inside, Snow saw the damage Lightning had single-handedly caused. The core, console and roof were totaled, perhaps even beyond repair.

"Need a hand?" Snow offered, assessing the damage that Swizzle-Stick couldn't fix - or at least try to - by himself.

The Doctor was reluctant to accept assistance of any kind, "No, I don't. Don't you have people to save or something?" He did not turn his head away from one of the many holes in the core.

Snow laughed, "Not anymore. All the saving's been done. I'm retired!"

Scratching the back of his scruffy head, he looked around, trying to find _something _to help with. He felt bad just leaving Swizzle-Stick to do something that wasn't his to do. Lightning should've been out there repairing it, or at least helping. However, she had the best excuse: An almost broken leg.

And Snow thought that maybe sis and Hope should have some time together. He really did miss her.

Snow spotted the same panel that had almost ripped Lightning's leg off. He then ran over to it and said, "Here, I'll get this!"

Out of the corner of his eye, the Doctor saw Snow trying to lift the giant panel. "Oh, don't touch that!"

"Don't worry, I got it."

The panel then fell, from his hands and landed with an incredibly loud crash, knocking a panel of glass out of the floor.

The Doctor turned his head back to Snow, cocking it to the side, giving the burly man a cynical stare.

Snow laughed, "Heheh, _whoops._"

He added, "I can fix that."

"I damn-well hope so," The Doctor mumbled, his square face illuminated by a blue light coming from the TARDIS' core.

* * *

**Hope didn't get any sleep last night.** He had already made up the estimate of time he had actually slept, which came up to the total of one lonesome hour. Each and every time he was about to go to sleep, another erotic dream came to him and he woke up screaming. It was horrible. He couldn't close his eyes and not see…_that_…

As he stood in his bathroom looking at his sleep depraved face reflecting back at him in the mirror, he thought about how much he wished he _wouldn't _think about it anymore. It all felt so…_real_, like he was actually having sex with Lightning. He wouldn't tell her, of course. That'd be a really good way to end a relationship, in his opinion. Especially one that hasn't even started yet.

_'So, Lightning, I had a dream last night that we screwed. Wanna do it for_ real?'

He slammed his head against the edge of the sink, _'If I ever sa_y _that, I WILL kill myself.'_

Sighing, he opened the medicine cabinet by touching a small screen that resembled a lock, which then snapped from the edge of the cabinet and swung open. There he grabbed a roll of white bandages. He had to replace Light's bandages so the wound wouldn't get infected, if it wasn't already.

Gran Pulse isn't the most sanitary of places, after all.

As he walked away from the sink, his foot stepped on something glass. It crunched beneath his feet and he lifted his foot to see what it was. As he pulled it from the floor, he saw it was a wedding photo. There, in the center of the photo was Snow, dressed in a rather classy wedding tux that fit him a little tightly. Across from him was a woman holding his hands; her's adorned in white lace gloves. Her long pink hair rested against her white wedding dress like silk, shining brightly in the sun. The woman was much smaller than him by more than of foot of height. She had a frail body; like it was thin enough to be blown away.

He flipped the frame over and, on the back in scrawled handwriting were the names 'Serah and Snow Villiers'.

Hope laughed as he saw the rather melancholy looking young man in the corner.

'_He doesn't look too—oh wait, that's me.'_

His laughing ceased. There he was, in a suit, with a saddened expression across his face. He was about sixteen at the time and, while it wasn't uncommon for a sixteen-year-old to be depressed, he was sad for another reason. When Snow told him the wedding date, he still wasn't over finding Lightning. His searches for her became more desperate as every day went on. Serah wanted Light to be her Maid-of-Honor and Hope wanted Lightning to be his date. He knew it was hopeless - no pun intended - and that, if he did find her, she would most likely reject him, but still, it was one of his few happy fantasies involving her.

Before that, only a year earlier, Serah had awoken from crystal-stasis. No one really knew how or why, but she did. Hope didn't really care why, and Snow was so excited he didn't even think about it.

Across from him, sitting in the crowd, was Claire. _She _had been his date. For almost a year, Snow had been trying to hook them up. He didn't give much reason besides 'she likes you and you need someone'.

He hadn't really liked Claire at the time. However, most people don't really like their stalkers, do they?

Hope put the frame back on the wooden shelf above the toilet and walked out of the bathroom. Every time he was in the bathroom, he always thought about how he should really move the photograph to a better place than the crap-room, but then never does anyway.

He left the bathroom and found Lightning still lying on the sofa. He had told her not to move and, for once, it looked like she actually listened to him.

"So," he began. "This is the last roll I have, so try not to wreck them doing anything stupid, alright?"

Lightning rolled her eyes and sighed, "I'm not one to do stupid things."

"Agree to disagree," He said as he knelt down before her, unwrapping the bandages from her legs. They were stained red and getting a little crusty. The wound was deep and it seemed the bleeding hadn't ceased.

As the bandage peeled from her leg, having been 'glued' there from the mass amount of blood that had grown sticky, Lightning turned away. She wasn't enjoying the sight of it one bit, and neither was Hope.

"Wow," he laughed awkwardly. "This is…nasty."

Light sighed, "Just get it over with."

He peeled another layer that came with more sticky blood.

_*shlick*_

And another.

_*shmick*_

The final layer had been pulled and, to their horror, several bulbs of puss had grown around the wound. They were yellowish and sphere-shaped, shining as the sun hit them.

"Right-well-um," He stuttered. "I'm gonna go get some medicine."

He looked up at Lightning. Her hands were clenched in a fist, and her forehead had little beads of sweat developing on its surface. The wound hurt _bad _and she was suppressing the pain as to not worry him.

That reminded him of when he last saw her; when she told him she was fine.

He almost wanted to hear her scream in agony, and he didn't mean that in a lustful-sex way. He meant it in a very sadistic, evil way.

'_If only you would scream like I did when you pulled those thorns from my side. If only, my dear.'_

His eyes drifted to the knife holder in the kitchen, where that same knife from earlier rested.

'_I could always make you scream, all I need is a little time and stealth-,'_

"Are you gonna go get that medicine or what?"

He snapped out of his sadist-thought process and said, "Yeah, I will. Sorry, I kinda blanked out there for a second."

He walked to the medicine cabinet and opened it again. He grabbed some pain killers and disinfectants; keeping his hand from the toxic substances he rarely used other than for pests.

'_She is a pest, of sorts.'_

He whacked himself on the head, "shaking" out the bad thoughts.

'_I have got to stop this before I hurt someone.'_


	14. Things Get 'Stabbier'

**Chapter 14**

* * *

**Snow had wandered off.** He knew that was a stupid idea, but he couldn't help himself. You don't see a logic-defying spaceship every day, do you?

The whole discovery process would be a lot more fun if he hadn't gotten himself lost. It almost seemed like the corridors never ended. He could've sworn he walked at least a mile down the same hallway, which apparently never ended.

He started to wonder if perhaps something knocked him out or if he fell asleep. Then, suddenly, a light came from the end. It was dim, like it was under a lamp shade.

Then he thought that it could be Swizzle-Stick looking for him.

"Hey," he called, his sultry voice bellowing through the empty halls of the TARDIS, "Swizzle-Stick, is that you?!"

No answer.

Snow sighed, "You have got to be kidding me…"

He made a dash towards the lamp, expecting to find Swizzle-Stick, only to find a room stylized in a Victorian-era manner. In the center of the room was a large wooden desk decorated with random little do-dads he had never seen before.

The room was dimly lit, carpeted, and seemingly unfit for the futuristic look that compelled the rest of the space craft.

Walking slowly into the room, the carpet squishing beneath his boots, he looked around some more. The room was a library and office, having bookshelves on both walls to the left and right of the desk.

There was a chair behind the desk, as well. It was large, like much of the furniture in the room, and made of brown leather. Snow approached it cautiously, thinking that perhaps something could jump out from behind it.

As he reached the back of the desk, he realized that nothing was there. Without thinking, he sat down in the seat and opened a small drawer to his right. Inside was a picture of two people that had been folded on the edge, cutting out another person. Snow lifted the flap, revealing a picture of Swizzle-Stick who had his arms around the two people. He didn't recognize them at all; one was a man who had a long, goofy-looking face and the other was a beautiful fiery-haired woman whose smile was kind. They all seemed happy together. Even Swizzle-Stick was smiling, which was something Snow hadn't seen yet.

He flipped the photo over, hoping to find some names indicating who was in the picture. There were none.

He shrugged, _'Whatever.'_

* * *

**Claire poured herself a cup of coffee from a small porcelain teapot.** The wind from her open window was blowing her long brown hair to the left as she gazed out into the open. She rested her teacup on the small, round, textured-glass table and proceeded to gaze out the window.

There was something bugging her.

Hope had acted…strange… when she met Lightning and seemed pretty determined to have Claire out of sight. Why didn't he want she and Lightning to meet? It seemed like he didn't even want the soldier-woman to know Claire existed.

'_Could he still be in love with her?'_

_'He couldn't be!'_ She thought

That was impossible! Claire was everything to him! She was his first love, she was his first kiss, and she was even his first sex partner, for God's sake! He wouldn't just drop all of that for some random slut that fell through his wall, would he? Lightning abandoned him, emotionally destroyed him, and temporarily obliterated his sanity! How could he love such a monster?! Was she ever there to calm his screaming in the middle of the night when all the torture came back to him? Was she ever there to tell him it was all right and that she wouldn't leave him? Was she ever there to hold him when he was sad about the loss of his family? Was she the one who stopped him from killing himself and everyone else around him in the process? No! Claire was! Claire was all the family Hope had left! If anything, Hope hated Lightning and wanted her dead, and that was the way Claire liked it. She was the center of his world, and had been for eight years; he even _married _her!

If Hope wouldn't get rid of her, then Claire would have to, and she'd make sure to do it in the most brutal way physically possible if that bitch even dared to come close to her husband. Medically assisting Lightning was fine, but if things started to get touchy… 'drastic' isn't enough of a word to describe the kind of measures Claire would take.

Hope was hers; _all hers_, and she wasn't ready to have some whorish, pink-haired _bimbo _take all _that _from her.

She had spent _way too damn long _trying to get him to notice her.

* * *

**And things get "****stabbier" as Claire joins in on the "Let's Kill Lightning" campaign!**


	15. Thanks

**Chapter 15**

* * *

**After giving Lightning the painkillers** and a glass of water, Hope stood up to see if he had anything designed to halt a spreading infection, or at least hold it back for a small period of time.

As he examined the medicine cupboard again, he was surprised to see how much lethal substances he had compared to that of healing. It was almost…disturbing, how much he liked having something capable of tearing the human body inside out.

Poisons and hallucinogens had become somewhat of a hobby after he was abandoned. He had this obsession with death, with watching things – people included – suffer before his eyes. He made most of the fatal concoctions, using pieces from things he had killed and plants he had collected over the years. Claire never knew any of his obsessions. After all, some things are best kept secret.

He grabbed a tube of disinfectant gel, almost empty and set it down on the glass shelf over the sink.

For example, his feelings for Light were something best unknown by Claire. He had never told her that he was still in love with her. Granted, Claire knew she'd always be second best, but never once did Hope say it to her face. He couldn't. It would tear her apart.

His hands reached yet another cold glass bottle of disinfectants, this one filled with pills.

Then again, were the feelings he had for Lightning since a young age really love or were they obsession? He never really thought about them much until she left him there alone, half past dead and freezing cold.

'_Perhaps I don't even know what love is,' _Hope thought, letting out a little laugh. _'That wouldn't be a surprise.'_

Grabbing the two bottles, he walked back to Lightning. She had her arms crossed at her chest, avoiding eye contact with Hope by turning her face away from him. She was obviously trying to hide the pain still.

'_Why?' _He wondered. _'Why are you still so afraid to show weakness?'_

Hope wasn't a child anymore; she didn't have to hide anything from him. _Not a single thing._

* * *

**Lightning watched as Hope** placed the disinfectant gel on the infected portion of her leg. It was cool to the touch, like his hands, and smelled quite awful. Plus, it bugged her that he wasn't letting her do anything on her own.

"I can do that myself," She said to him as he continued to rub the gel on her wound.

"I know," he said. "I could've pulled those thorns out of my own side, but I let you do it anyway. Just think of this as a 'thank you'."

Light sighed. She hated that.

"You don't have to thank me," Lightning mumbled.

"You're right," Hope said, his eyes still locked on Light's leg. "I don't, but I want to anyway."

"Why?" Lightning asked, "I left you to die and you're going to thank me? You really are a strange kid."

'_I'm not going to thank you; I'm going to kill you.'_

Lightning looked down at her lap, "I really should be the one thanking you."

"What?" He hadn't heard her.

"I said 'thanks for-'" She paused, hesitating before finishing her sentence.

"For what?" Hope laughed. He knew what, but he wanted to hear her say it.

"For helping me."

* * *

**I apologize for my absence! I was camping and didn't have any way of accessing my account at the time so I was unable to update. I also apologize for the weak chapter, I have been experiencing some writer's block but I'm getting over it so I should have another chapter up within the next day or two!**

**Also, Aion 4.0 comes out tomorrow! SUPAH EXCITED!**


	16. Not Ever

**Chapter 16**

* * *

**Snow sighed,** leaning back in the comfy office chair. The Doctor hadn't come for him yet despite his calls and, contrary to popular belief he wasn't so stupid that he would wander off in a place that is said to be endless. He'd probably die before he was found, anyway.

So, instead, he would simply wait for the man who – hopefully – knows his way around this place. If not- well, Snow was glad to have a decent vocal range when it comes down to screaming.

* * *

**Claire paced the floors of her home,** wondering if Hope would call. He promised he would as soon as he was finished taking care of Lightning. However...

_That was an hour ago._

'_What could he possibly be doing?' _She thought, clutching the thin cellular device in her hands, desperately waiting for her lover's voice to come through. She missed him; he hadn't talked to her, he hadn't invited her over, and he hadn't even looked at her since Lightning came by. She knew that he loved her.

_'Loved' her; note the past tense. _

'_He couldn't still love her now, could he?'_

One too many times had Lightning's return threatened their relationship. All he ever talked about was how much he loved her, what he'd do when he saw her again, and all the things he'd tell her. Granted not all of them were kind things, but a great deal of them showed how much she meant to him. She had shown him the reality of vengeance, war and how kindness can kill you. The fact that he looked at that like a good thing had always disturbed her more than she could ever say, but she ignored it. She ignored it like the way he looked at _her. _She ignored it like the way he wanted _her. _She ignored it like the way he lusted for _her_.

No matter how she looked at it, their "love" was in jeopardy, and Claire had to fix that, even if it meant her already tainted reputation.

That was another thing she gladly ignored.

* * *

**"_Hey, Lightning, wake up."_**

Lightning opened her eyes slowly, and there, before her, was Hope the way she last saw him. He was fourteen. And they were still in the Gapra Whitewood.

Lightning shot up from the ground, eyes wide, "Wait, it was all a dream?!"

Hope was confused, "What was a dream?"

"You were older and there was a spaceship and a guy in tweed and I kissed Snow and then there was this woman in your shower and- wait - that came before Snow," Lightning said frantically.

Hope laughed then said, "You've been asleep for a while, Light."

She looked at him, still in a flurry of confusion.

"If you actually kissed…_him_…I'd probably cut your lips off," He said seriously, looking away from her.

Light stared at him, slightly disturbed.

He laughed nervously, "I-I'm just kidding!"

Hope smiled at her. The same innocent smile he had given her the last time they saw each other. _When he was dying._

Her hands instantly went to his side, sliding up his shirt, looking for the gouge mark. There was none.

"It's gone," She mumbled.

"What's gone?" Hope asked, his cheeks red, skin raised from the cold feel of her hands.

"Your scar," She replied.

Laughing in embarrassment, Hope awkwardly forced her hands out of his shirt, "There's no scar there, Light…could you stop that…now…please…"

She pulled her hands away. She gave a sigh of relief. _He was fine._

Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"I never went anywhere, Lightning," Hope said, slowly accepting her embrace.

Lightning smiled and, as much as she hated it, her tears gave way, drenching Hope's shoulder.

"Okay," Hope began, "If you cry, I'll start crying, and then it'll just be a mess of tears and sadness."

She laughed through the sobs, unable to say anything.

"I didn't die in your dream or something, did I?"

"Pretty close."

"Oh," Hope replied. "I'm sorry." His grip on her became tighter.

"Don't be," She said, "It wasn't your fault, it was mine."

She could hear his heart racing, mixing with the sounds of her own in a drumming melody, putting sound to her regret.

She could finally fix it. She wouldn't leave him, not this time.

Not ever.

* * *

**This isn't the end...and this little scenario is about to go down..._nightmarishly_... *hint hint***


	17. Nightmare

**So, this chapter gets a bit... _graphic_... in the sense of gore. I shall admit to you all that my life is based around writing horror, not romance, not comedy, not fanfiction, so, no matter what it is that I am writing, it usually has some sort of graphic scene or two if it is not a full-on horror. Granted, my writing abilities are not as amazing as they could be, but this is what I do. I often write horror in present tense, not past, so this is a bit...weird for me...**

**Anyway, if you have a weak stomach or really don't wanna read a zombie-nightmare-horror-thing, I have marked where it starts to get violent with [NOT SAFE] and where the violence ends with [SAFE]. If you didn't read it all, I will give a brief explanation to you if you ask for one.**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

"Lightning," Hope whispered.

"What?" She asked, her voice shaky from the unwanted tears brought to her in her time of despair.

"Why did you leave me?"

Light's eyes widened, "W-what?"

A small, wicked laugh came from Hope's lips. "I asked," He began, "Why did you leave me?"

"I-I didn't leave you," She stuttered, afraid to move, afraid to look at Hope.

Something was wrong. She could smell it. Literally, something smelled like..._decay._

"Yes you did," He responded. "You left me to die."

**[NOT SAFE]**

"Hope, I never-AAH!,"

A sharp object shot through Lightning's back, striking her shoulder with inhuman force. In shock, she shoved Hope away and backed up, weapon drawn on instinct.

Blood began to pour down her wounded shoulder. She couldn't feel her left arm anymore.

Hope laughed again, slowly rising to his feet. In his hand was the knife Serah had given Lightning, which she had then given to Hope for protection, not murder.

"Hope, what are you doing?!"

"Tell me," he said, "Why did you leave?"

Lightning had no answer. She felt as if she had forgotten everything that had happened in the past.

All she could say was, "I-I don't know…"

A psychotic laugh escaped Hope's lips.

"You don't know?!" He asked in a shattered voice and insane tone. "How the hell could you possibly not know?!"

Lightning's eyes watched intently as Hope raised the knife up to his face, blood dripping down his wrist, soaking his glove.

His face – no, it wasn't just his face, it was his whole self – had been decaying, melting against his frame. His eyes were glazed over, soulless and glassy like a doll's eyes. They lacked emotion as one stared blankly up into the sky, unable to focus, and the other hung from it's socket by the optical nerve like a worm dangling before it's prey.

His hair had blood smattered against its surface, the tips soaked to the point of redness.

The right side of his smile had been permanently carved into his face, revealing rotted gums and teeth adorned with little spots of blood. The skin curled on the corner of his mouth, stitched into a smile by black threads.

His clothes were torn, each tear revealing a deep gash wound. From his chest hung his heart, stabbed and bleeding what looked like puss, still somehow beating. From his stomach fell his innards, the long intestine dangling above the floor, crawling with maggots.

The same hole in his side was there, only now infested with thorns and beetles.

_He was dead._

_Completely and totally dead._

As he slowly approached her, "his" knife practically begging to slice her open, Lightning said, "Hope, this isn't you. You don't want to do this."

He chucked at her, "Oh, you have no idea just how much I want to do this."

Lightning raised her arm, backing up, aiming the gunpoint at him.

"Hope, please—,"

"Shut up," he interrupted, his words cold.

Hope launched himself at her, forcing her back against the wall.

She was scared.

The knife in his hand grazed her cheek lustfully.

_Oh, how much he wanted to see her blood spill._

"Hope," she pleaded. "Please don't."

His evil giggles plagued the air with disease.

She couldn't move; she couldn't look away from him. She was stuck.

"Get…off…of…me…" She said.

The serrated edge dug into her cheek, cutting several blood vessels.

"You don't know how long I've waited to do this…" he sighed.

He was taking a sickening level of sadistic pleasure from what he was doing.

His palm dragged down her side lecherously and grabbed her arm, raising it up. His fingers gripped her wrist, leaving blood smudges against her skin.

Lightning's other arm lifted up in attempts to pull the knife away, only to be met by its edge. The palm of her hand stuck fast to the wall behind her, pinned against it by the knife.

A scream of agony forced its way through Lightning, only to be muffled by her pride.

She wasn't just scared now, she was terrified.

The knife twisted and turned in her palm, making a stomach-churning sound of ripping muscle and cracking bone. It sounded like her hand was filled with twigs and rubber bands.

He dug the knife deeper.

Her bones popped and snapped even more.

Hope laughed as she struggled to hold back the tears, as she desperately tried to kick him away. She wasn't going anywhere now. She was stuck right where he wanted her.

Light's eyes searched the floor for a way of escape. There was none.

Releasing the knife, leaving her hand pinned lifelessly to the wall, muscle and blood pouring from inside, Hope forced her face to his, making her look at him.

He smiled at her – or was that simply the way his face had been carved? – and she tried to advert her eyes from the monster he had become.

"What?" he asked. "You don't wanna look at the mess you made? Can't take it anymore? You weakling!"

Lightning closed her eyes.

"Look at me!" He demanded. "Look at what you've done to me!"

He grabbed her chin and shoved it back, her eyes opening on impact with the wall. She stared at him, unable to look away, which was just what he wanted.

A strange noise came from him that sounded somewhat like an insane cackle, followed by a cough of blood. His head flopped over as he coughed more and more, unable to cease the attack.

Blood spewed from his mouth, hitting Lightning's waist, legs, and the floor.

The coughing decreased slowly until it finally ended.

He looked up at her with his only eye and bared bloody teeth at her.

"You look so good," he said in a voice raspy and low, verging on demonic.

Lightning tried to pull herself away and yet she couldn't move. Why couldn't she move? He was a scrawny, undead, 5'0 fourteen-year-old kid. She could simply push him off... and yet she couldn't.

Hope pulled himself up towards her, placing his available hand on her shoulder. Their eye(s) met for mere seconds before she felt his tongue press against her neck.

"Stop," she whispered. "Please stop."

His teeth began to rip through her skin.

_*tear*_

Lightning screamed.

Blood began to stream down her neck and onto her shoulder.

Her skin pulled away with searing pain.

The bone began to show.

She screamed again.

Hope then took one big bite out of her neck, causing blood to flood into her mouth, cutting of her breath. She suffocated, pleading for air, only breathing in more fluid.

He covered her mouth and nose.

Her vision was going blurry.

All she could see was black and all she could feel was Hope eating her alive.

* * *

**[SAFE]**

Light's eyes blinked open, she woke screaming.

"Lightning!" Hope came running from the kitchen, a small cellular device in his hands. He dropped it and the crashing sound it made startled Lightning.

Her eyes closed then opened to find Hope chewing on her then closed again to find twenty-four-year-old Hope holding onto her.

"Shh," he whispered. "It's okay."

She struggled from his arms. He would hurt her. She knew it but she didn't trust him.

The pain was still there.

That same burning, flesh-tearing, gut-twirling pain.

He held tightly onto her. He was warm and welcoming, unlike the "Hope" she had touched earlier.

Her screaming ceased, but the fear didn't.

She was shaking like a wobbly doll about to fall from the shelf.

Forcing herself to look up at him, she saw that it was Hope, not zombie-demon-psycho-nightmare Hope she had seen moments ago.

She insecurely wrapped her arms around herself.

"It's okay," he whispered to her. "It was just a dream."

Lightning's eyes were wide. She looked like a frightened child.

"It was only a dream."

They sat like that for several minutes; he cradling her, she holding onto him like a wall of protection from the horrors of her mind.

Lightning slowly pulled away from him, then said, "I-I'm f-fine."

Her words were shaky; Hope was not convinced, "I beg to differ but, if you say so…"

He got up.

Holding her felt amazing but, obviously she was done, and he had no desire to force himself upon her.

"You should go back to sleep," He added. "You need more rest."

Lying down, Lightning grabbed the blanket that had covered her moments ago, now curled up into a ball at the end of the couch, and spread it over herself.

"Good night," he said.

Preparing to walk away, he was halted by Lightning.

"W-wait," she said.

He turned around and looked at her.

"Don't go."

"Light, I-," he gestured his head towards the phone on the floor. Someone was yelling through it.

"Just stay with me. Please."

He took in a deep sigh. He wanted to crawl in bed with her but knew she wouldn't allow that.

"I'll sit in that chair okay?"

"No," she mumbled. "I want you to stay _here_…with me."

She hated being weak; she hated what she was doing, but she couldn't help it. She needed him, and for some bizarre reason, she felt like the dream would come back if he wasn't there with her.

Hope's face turned beat-red, "U-u-um-well-I-uh," he stuttered.

"Please."

He gave in.

As he laid down beside her, lifting the blanket up over himself, his heart raced. So many things were going through his head, he couldn't think straight.

It didn't help that the moment he finally got comfortable, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer to her.

Their bodies were pressed against each other, he could feel her breath against his chest, and could hear her heartbeat.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I just...I don't know..."

"Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not," she laughed.

"Okay then."


	18. a Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes

**Chapter 18**

* * *

**_8 Years Ago_**

"Hey, Serah," Hope asked the young woman standing at her kitchen sink, washing dishes from last night's dinner party. "What do you think about dreams?"

"What kind of dreams?" She asked in reply.

"Like," He began, "The ones where someone you miss comes back again or something you want to happen happens…those kind of dreams."

"Well-," she paused.

"Well what?"

"Well, there was this song I heard once," she said as she placed a large silver plate on the drying rack to her right, "Where they said 'A dream is a wish your heart makes,' or something like that."

"That didn't really answer my question," Hope responded, "But thanks, anyway, I guess."

"What I mean, Hope," she continued, "Is that when you have a dream where something you want to happen happens, then it's a wish your heart makes. It's something that will come true eventually because you want it so much."

Hope laughed, "You don't have to lie to me Serah; I'm not a little kid."

"I'm not lying to you! I have proof!"

"What proof?"

"Well, I wanted Snow to marry me—,"

"Here we go," Hope sighed.

"But when I became a L'Cie, I thought it would never happen because I was a monster. Well, all I ever dreamed about was being married to him and then viola! I was. Sure, there was some crystal-stasis involved and a few battles, but I eventually got what I wanted because that was all I ever thought about."

She turned around and looked at him, a glint in her eye, "So, Lightning will come back, you just gotta give it some time."

"It's been two years, Serah."

"That doesn't matter. I know she'll come back. _I know it_. Even if I'm not here to see it-,"

"Serah, don't talk like that," Hope sighed. "You're not _that _sick."

"You know what I mean, Hope. She'll come back, okay? Don't worry. We'll find her, or maybe she'll find us or—,"

'_Or maybe she'll crash land into my house in a blue box with a guy in a weird suit.'_

Hope finished the thought as he woke up from the memory eight years prior. That was one of the many he had of Serah, but that one stuck the most.

'_A dream is a wish your heart makes. What a load o' crap. If that was true, well…things would be a hell lot different for me.'_

He pushed himself up from the sofa, away from the woman he desired more than anything, and towards the phone he had left on the floor. He picked it up and, as the small holographic screen appeared, he saw that Claire had called literally every hour since he dropped the phone.

'_Why didn't I listen to you more often, Serah?'  
_

* * *

**When Lightning awoke, Hope wasn't there anymore.**

"Hope?" She called.

No answer.

"Hey, Hope, where did you go?"

Still, not a word came in reply.

She sighed, picked herself up, and pushed the blanket away. Struggling to her feet, she noticed a small pinkish flower on the floor. It was alone with no letter or signature attached.

'_Perhaps it fell out of a vase or something?'_

She looked around. No vase was to be found, at least not one containing flowers.

"Weird," she said to no one in particular.

She looked down at her wounded leg. It was getting better…she hoped.

'"_Depends on how you would define 'better'" is what Hope would probably say…'_

She grabbed the flower and tossed it aside. She then waddled into the kitchen, and called for Hope again.

"Hope? You're freaking me out, what's going on?"

The sound of curtains being pulled back on their steel rods caught her attention. She immediately turned her head and looked to the bathroom door. Steam was coming from the bottom edge.

"Hope, are you in there?"

Supporting herself on the walls, she limped along the cold plaster to the bathroom door where she then knocked a few times.

No answer came.

"Hope?"

Nothing.

Getting impatient, Lightning pushed the door open.

"H-hey! L-Lightning!"

As soon as the cloud of steam cleared, Lightning's cheeks felt like they were on fire.

She had found Hope, sure enough.

_She had found him naked._

"Oh god!" Lightning exclaimed, slapping her hands over her eyes, trying not to keel over on the floor from the lack of balance given to her by the door.

Hope grabbed a towel from a silver rack and wrapped it around his lower waist.

Dashing over to the door in attempts to close it, he slipped-

"Ack!"

- And landed right on top of Lightning.

"Get off of me!"

Hope pushed himself away and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Standing up, he said, "Now will you get out?!"

Light looked up at him. His chest was ragged in the same scars that were present in her dream.

Her eyes wide, she asked, "Hope, what happened to you?"


	19. The Moment

**Chapter 19**

* * *

**He turned around shyly and grabbed another towel,** wrapping it around his shoulders.

"Nothing," he responded. "It doesn't matter."

Lightning pushed herself up on the wall, "Yes, it does, Hope."  
Turning his head to her, he said loudly, "No! It doesn't! Just get out."

"No," she said flatly. Her nightmare was becoming a reality…and she didn't like it. "Not until you let me see."

"Lightning," he sighed. "It's just some scars, okay? It's not a big deal."

She inched towards him.

He took in another deep sigh.

She could see that same wound from his stomach stretching to his back, leaving a deep, pinkish mark. But there were more. It looked like someone had taken a steel whip to his body, if even such a thing exists. There were cuts, marks that she wouldn't have noticed had he not been naked, and a few dents where he may have been shot.

He looked battered.

_Really, really battered._

He raised his left hand and ran it through his wet hair.

Then she noticed something strange.

His l'Cie mark – it was gone.

Well, maybe not _gone_, but it was faded.

Was that even possible?

"What happened to your mark," she asked, her eyes fixated on its cracked, faded colors.

"It started to fade after-," he hesitated.

Should he tell her? Should he tell her what happened to the others? Should he say that Serah is-well-_was_…alive? Should he say that Sazh, Dajh, Vanille and Fang – whom she never met – are dead? Or did she already know?

Lightning pried, "After…?"

"After…Fang…destroyed Cocoon…more or less, anyway."

'_Wait…what?!'_

"Destroyed?!" Light yelled. "You told me it just broke out in war!"

He flipped around to face her, "And it did, alright?! That war up there is because of us! This whole frickin' town is responsible for that war! Why do you think we're down here, huh? Just for shits and giggles?! The pretty weather?! We fled Cocoon, Lightning! We fled because we were being hunted down!" He gestured his arms towards the small window on the back wall, "Every last person in this town was, at some point in there lives, a l'Cie! We are exiled criminals, okay?! _A lot _of people have died, Lightning, and Sanctum is up there blaming our sorry asses for it when all we were trying to do was save Cocoon!"

Lightning was silent. That was a lot to take in.

He let the towel fall from his shoulders, "And these scars? _These _are what happen when you leave a defenseless, weak, _stupid_ kid in the woods for a year!"

_Gashes. Stabs. Gun shots. Guttings. Bite marks. Scratches._

His body had seen more damage than a 10-year-old practice dummy has in it's entire 'life'.

"Hope, I-," Lightning began.

He interrupted, "Just…don't. I don't wanna hear it. You're just gonna say your 'sorry' and then think everything is fine, but it's not fine, Lightning, it's not fine. Words aren't gonna help what you-they-_everyone _did."

A thought hit Lightning, _she had never apologized for leaving him. _How could she be so foolish as to think that just blowing it off was going to help? It only made things worse.

But he was right.

Words wouldn't help.

She had to do something…_more_…to prove to him she was sorry.

He looked away from her, then drew in a large breath, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't of- I mean, I-…just forget it…"

She forced her legs to walk towards him and, as she approached, she placed her hands on his chest, pulling herself closer. She could feel his breath, hear his heartbeat, she could hear how it raced when she touched him.

Her heart caught up with his.

She placed a gentle hand on his cheek, yet he still wouldn't look at her.

"Hope…I…"

"Don't," he said. "Just…don't."

Moving her hands up from his chest, she laced them in his hair and pulled his face to hers. In a breathy tone, she said, "I'm sorry."

His eyes met hers. They were filled with sorrow, longing, and pain. The way they looked into hers…it was love.

He loved her.

And she had abandoned him.

But then there was something else. Something…_disturbing_ in his eyes. A desire…a _lust_…for murder.

As their lips came closer, she closed her eyes and ignored the burning hate inside of him. She felt like she could practically feel it as they came closer.

His lips touched hers and, for a mere moment, she forgot the pain, the hate, and the disaster that brought them together.

For that one singular moment, she actually felt happy.

Happy to be with him again.

And that was enough for her.

* * *

**SUCH a cheesy ending, lol!**

**Anyway, stay tuned for more.**


	20. Phone Call from Outer Space

**I am so very sorry, everyone. I've been gone for awhile due to anxiety and lack of inspiration. However, now that all of that is away, I have the time and attention required to keep updating. I once again apologize, only this time it's for the rather small length of this chapter. I mean to post it awhile back, and sincerely thought I had, but didn't.**

**My mind has been very clouded and hope you all will be able to forgive me.**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

* * *

**The phone that Hope had so carelessly left in the kitchen** went off, shocking both he and Lightning. As the high-pitched tone echoed through the seemingly soundless house, a thought – a horrific thought – occurred to him.

'_You're married.'_

The thought made his stomach churn. The sheer fact that he couldn't have Lightning – at least the way that he had always wished – made him sick.

He _was _married.

But that didn't mean he was in love. Not with that…_psycho_…anyway.

The phone rang again, and Light pulled away from him.

"Perhaps you should answer that," she said flatly, looking down. Her attitude was almost that of regret. Was she regretting her actions?

"Yeah," Hope sighed. He didn't want to answer it. More than likely, it was his wife, and more than likely, she was about to scream at him for never calling her back.

He _really_ didn't want to answer it.

Taking in a deep breath, he exhaled, and then pushed his way past Lightning, going towards the phone. His hand gripped the cold plastic surface and, when he answered, he was surprised.

It wasn't Claire.

A loud crash went off in the background, sending a sting through his ears.

Hope yelled into the phone, "What the-?! Who is this?!"

"Hope! Is that you?"

A man's voice came from the phone.

It _definitely _wasn't Claire.

"Yeah, who is this?"

Another loud crash; another sting.

"It's the Doctor!"

'_Oh, great.'_

"What's wrong?" He asked, "Where are you?!"

"Well," the Doctor began. His voice was echoing in the background, as if he was in some hollow hole. "Snow and I are in the TARDIS and-,"

"And what?"

Silence. The phone cut off.

"Doc, what's going on? C'mon, talk to me!"

The silence was ceased by a loud beep, which then led to more silence.

"Dammit," Hope sighed.

The phone ringed again, only when Hope answered, two voices were arguing in the background.

"I told you not to push the red button!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know it would turn itself off?! I'm not from your bloody dimension!"

"Ya know, I was under the impression that telephone functions were remarkably universal!"

Something fell, and the two screamed.

"Are you alright? Doctor; Snow, somebody! What's going on?!"

The doctor finally answered, "We're in the TARDIS but Snow touched the wrong lever and now we're-AH!-," he was interrupted by a bang, followed by some irritated yelling, then continued, "We're drifting somewhere in space."

Hope was silent.

'_Wait…they're doing WHAT?!'_


	21. Pain

**I apologize for the small chapters, everyone. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this update! This should perhaps tie one little loose end in the series!**

* * *

**Chapter 21**

* * *

**That little sting of silence struck Hope's conscious** as he struggled to gather what the Doctor had just told him. He wasn't sure what to say, let alone what to think.

_They were drifting in space somewhere._

That statement alone was enough to send shivers up his spine.

Snow was an idiot just by himself and, as far as Hope was concerned, he didn't need any help with that.

'_Guess this is what happens when you stick a foreigner and a fool in a time-traveling spaceship together with absolutely no adult supervision.'_

Taking in deep breath, Hope said, "Okay, okay, okay. Can you land the ship back here?"

"Well," the Doctor began hesitantly, "That's the problem."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No, I'm not. Ack-!" The Doctor exclaimed, another loud crash finishing his statement. "Listen, I have to go!"

"Wait!" Hope objected, "No! Don't! You can't!"

"Oh, for-... I have to go! Snow is at the console and has no idea what to do! I really don't want Sexy to explode!"

"_Sexy_?! What?!"

Hope sighed as a loud beep went off in his ear, signifying the end of the conversation.

"Well…this is unfortunate."

* * *

**Lightning sat down on the closed toilet lid,** her hands placed in her hair with distress. _What had she done?_

She had no idea where this would take their relationship – that being there even was one – and how much it would complicate the process of going back to her time. She couldn't stay here, she knew that…but now…did she really want to go back? She knew that her absence had somehow corrupted the future – and Hope – but were things really _that _bad? She could just stay, couldn't she? It wouldn't kill anyone, would it?

Light exhaled deeply. Her thoughts were conflicted, her mind was in knots, and her stomach was in much a similar condition. She felt like yelling every horrid word she knew at the top of her lungs in anger at herself, but another piece of her wanted to feel that flutter she felt when she was kissing _him_. It was…enjoyable…and yet she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse. What she did…was bad. It was _really, really _bad.

'_No,' _she thought. _'Not just bad; it was stupid, heinously stupid.'_

Whatever little fire she may have kindled inside of her was burning with passion, and it was pissing her off, too. She didn't want to feel that way about Hope. He was like…like her little brother, not her lover.

'_Everything is just so messed up right now…'_

Lightning hated emotion, she hated the feeling of love, she hated the fact that she _might just be _in love with Hope. The whole idea of it seemed wrong, like someone was looking down on her for it, like there was big man just _staring _at her, shaking his head in disappointment; _like he was disgusted with her._

Convincing herself that it was all in her head, and that there was no large-scale, bearded, fatherly-figure looking down on her, she turned and stood from the toilet seat, walking over to the mirrored medicine cabinet. She placed her hands – fingers splayed – on the counter top surrounding the sink and stared at her own reflection. Her hair was mangled in a mess, she had bags under her eyes, and her lips were chapped. In short, she looked _awful_. Why ever someone would want to kiss _that _bewildered her.

'_Guess that's love, huh?' _She laughed. That was something Serah would've said.

'_Serah,' _the name echoed through Lightning's mind, causing a sudden droop in her soul. _'Serah.'_

She turned her head to the wooden shelf above the toilet and noticed a small framed picture. It was a wedding scenario. She reached for the picture and stared at it.

'_Serah.'_

Her hands lightly graced the edges of the photo as she outlined the frail figure of her sister. Was that even…possible? How could she have woken from crystal stasis? Why hadn't anyone told her that her sister was alive?

A sudden twinge of inner pain and despair struck with effeciency.

The picture fell limp from her hands, crashing on the cold floor.

Something was wrong. Something was missing.

'_Serah?'_


End file.
